Thursday, August 06, 2009

Congressperson Ann Kirkpatrick's "Town Hall"

Updated 8/8/09: HERE is video. As you will see from this video, she is in the entryway of a grocery store and the crowd is a bunch of white-haired gents and ladies. When one woman directly asks Rep. Kirkpatrick a question on health care, Kirkpatrick tells her she's not going to answer any questions on that. When the woman tells her that these people all want to know (and the people clap signaling their agreement with the woman), Kirkpatrick simply walks out. So much for the wild, swastika-bearing organized mob... (and kudos to the guy who calls after her, "You're our employee!") And note, these senior citizens don't get "unruly" until she has left.

This is all about the news/gossip reports about how Ann Kirkpatrick's "Town Hall" meeting in Holbrook, AZ was supposedly overrun by a group of organized thugs. Not true... According to people who were there, she simply canceled the event when a crowd showed up. (Transcript here.)

First, I was not AT that "Town Hall" meeting... or at any town hall meeting because -- according to my conversation with Ann Kirkpatrick's office earlier this week -- she is not holding any town hall meetings... just small hand shaking or photo ops. I have been trying (along with a number of other private citizens we know) to get Ann Kirkpatrick to hold a meeting ANYWHERE in the state to answer questions about the president's & congressional health care proposal. She has refused... she and her office telling me OUR representative prefers small "Chats with Ann". (see the list HERE.) No one organized me to call. I didn't receive a robocall encouraging me to call or attend anything. We have attended Town Hall meetings in the past held by Senator McCain and information meetings held by Senator Kyl and the former Congressman... and it was important to us to have the opportunity to ask questions of our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE.

Rep. Kirkpatrick is limiting her "chats" to areas remote and far off the beaten path -- AND SHE IS HOLDING HER "GET TOGETHERS" IN THE LOCAL GROCERY STORES!!! Her office told me that her only appearance in my area was an invitation only press conference to talk about TARP funds but it was a short visit and there would be no opportunity for questions FROM THE PUBLIC. They did tell me that I could drive the two hours from the most populous town in this county -- where she will NOT meet with constituents -- to attend one of the small gatherings in either Payson, Winslow or Holbrook in one of two neighboring counties... BUT she had no intention of addressing the health care issue at any of them. SHE was coming home to discuss infrastructure projects and public safety (as in fire and police). Note in the transcript referenced above, the woman says of Kirkpatrick, "She didn't want to answer any questions..."

When I asked why she wasn't scheduling any meetings in the immediate Prescott area, her staff informed me that the Congresswoman "already heard enough from the people in the Prescott area and didn't see a reason to meet here." Pardon me?? So I asked the staffer, "You mean because the people of Prescott are informed and communicate regularly, the Congresswoman is penalizing us?" Of course, her answer was, "No, of course not..." After registering my strong disapproval at Ms. Kirkpatrick's lack of communications with her constituents, I asked her staffer to relay a message to my representative: "NO on H.R. 3200!"

Now let's look at Ms. Kirkpatrick's tactics at staying as far away from the maddening crowd while she's home this summer. Holbrook and Winslow are in Navajo County. Payson is in Gila County. Prescott is in Yavapai County. I'm sure the choice of Ms Kirkpatrick's "chats" had nothing at all to do with the fact that Navajo county is 44% registered Democrats to 32% Republican (she won the county) and Gila County is 44% to 36% Democrat/Republican (she won the county) and whereas Yavapai County is 46% Republican to 26% Democrat (she lost the county)? (/sarcasm).

Now you would think that a Congressperson would want to reach as many of her constituents as possible? (Population HERE.) Holbrook has a population of approximately 5,100, Winslow has 9,900 and Payson has 15,500. Prescott (alone) has 42,700; add Prescott Valley and Chino Valley (which border Prescott on either side), there are an additional 38,500 and 11,100, respectively. But Ann, who made exceptionally few campaign appearances in Yavapai County her entire congressional campaign, doesn't feel the need to talk with the people of Prescott or Yavapai?

The whole health care issue is THE topic everyone is talking about and everyone (including me) wants to talk about it... and people everywhere want to talk to their elected (as in YOU WORK FOR US) representatives... and I can't blame people one bit if they showed up at an event that is publicized on their Congressperson's website and where her staff directed people to go... and they get boisterous and perhaps even irate when she DOESN'T SHOW UP AND CANCELS THE EVENT???

6 Comments:

Are you even kidding me? You're giong to quote a Rush caller? I mean come on! The truth is YOU don't know. The further truth is you want Ann to have a town hall in Prescott, not to get your questions answered, but to stage a mobster event and shout down the ligitimate people who really do care and who really do have questions. And that is un-American, un-democratic, and really quite unbecoming of a mother of a US soldier. Honestly!

This crazyiness isn't about Health Care, it is about racism. If you don't get that then you truly are just stupid. Everything the mobsters are yelling and saying isn't even true. None of it. It is pure craziness..... and its getting dangerous. You people are getting just plain dangerous.

myrtle june, your foil is slipping. oh, that's right -- you don't have a logical argument (and she doesn't agree with you), so you launch to the name-calling. if you had read all the links, you would know that she tells the truth.

I know SSM and she is a passionate moderate, knowledgeable and informed and the LAST thing this woman would do are the things of which you accuse her. if there is anyone who has earned the right to her opinion, it is THIS mother of a Hero. you speak from an ignorance skewed by the warped devotion of those who worship blindly at the altar of Obama. before you run around name calling, you should STFU...

and yes, any person who wishes to challenge the almighty socialist plan must be dangerous -- so be afraid. be very afraid, myrtle. because there are REAL people with REAL concerns and REAL questions... that MUST be asked (but which the democrats are afraid to hear... or are too stupid to know the answers!

Ann is an expert at hiding from her constituants. I have been calling her Casa Grande and DC office for weeks trying to get her to schedule townhall meetings in Pinal County. The responses have been "her schedule isn't set yet", "she's reviewing her options", "haven't you check her website",... I have told her staffers that hand shakes and conference calls are great if you are campaigning but that ended in November, didn't it? I suggested that if Ann wanted to learn how to stick her head in the sand so she would not hear our disagreement that she get herself down to Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch in Eloy and watch the experts. Her staffers do not have a sense of humor. When I quoted Ms. Pelosi "We are Americans and it is our right to debate and disagree" they seemed to think it only applied to outraged liberals, MoveOn.org and ACORN. Imagine that.

Myrtle June, you’re completely off base. How dare you address anyone as "you people". Who do you think you are anyway? To accuse this woman that she is somehow acting unbecoming and is un-American is disrespectful. Her husband and son have/are risking their lives for this country and for you. I'd like to see you say those things to her face to face. Don't insult her simply because you can post a response without her knowing who you are. That's shameful.

I believe you are turning a blind eye to the fact that people all over this country are irate at what's going on, and politicians are making a mockery of our political system. How are they doing this you ask? By failing to listen to their constituents. By failing to read the bills they vote on. By throwing around heavy handed accusations because people are calling them out on the fact that they are failing to do their job. You can't deny that these things are happening.

I am sorry that you are so bitter and frightened by things that confuse you. It is not I that needs to get a grip, but you. Your shrieking at a post about something YOU apparently know nothing about is just so very telling. You need to turn off CNN & MSNBC and spill the kool-aid down the drain.

And in my experience, people who throw the "racism" card are only guilty of that themselves (for example, supporting someone solely because of their color.) And since the president is just as white as he is black, am I racist because he's black or because he's white??

I will repeat my intent:

The whole health care issue is THE topic everyone is talking about and everyone (including me) wants to talk about it... and people everywhere want to talk to their elected (as in YOU WORK FOR US) representatives...

I am quite happy with my health care and believe -- after reviewing most of HR 3200 -- that it is way overreaching and does nothing to solve the problems that need to be solved: insure the uninsured and provide for catastrophic health care coverage and I would like to express that opinion and explore that with my ELECTED representative. She, apparently, doesn't want to discuss it with us.

And if you think we're all a little pissed off now? Well, then wait until 2010!!